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Synonyms

winning

American  
[win-ing] / ˈwɪn ɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act of a person or thing that wins.

    Antonyms:
    losing

  2. Usually winnings something that is won, especially money.

  3. Mining.

    1. any opening by which coal is being or has been extracted.

    2. a bed of coal ready for mining.

adjective

  1. that wins; successful or victorious, as in a contest.

    the winning team.
    Antonyms:
    losing

  2. charming; engaging; pleasing.

    a winning child; a winning smile.
    Synonyms:
    winsome, attractive
    Antonyms:
    repulsive
winning British  
/ ˈwɪnɪŋ /

adjective

  1. (of a person, character, etc) charming, engaging, or attractive

    winning ways

    a winning smile

  2. gaining victory

    the winning stroke
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

    1. a shaft or seam of coal

    2. the extraction of coal or ore from the ground

  2. (plural) money, prizes, or valuables won, esp in gambling

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • unwinning adjective
  • winningly adverb
  • winningness noun

Etymology

Origin of winning

1250–1300; Middle English (noun); win 1, -ing 1, -ing 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The winning candidate needs a distraction-free home office and must be game for odd hours because co-workers are spread across time zones.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s the longest winning streak for silver since August 2025, fueled by international tensions.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Briton lost just one point over his next three service games and would not relinquish control of the tie-break after winning four of the first five points.

From BBC

Let me remind you that Major Puff was a puffin whose ancestors were responsible for winning half a dozen wars, not to mention twenty-eighty significant battles and countless skirmishes of varied importance.

From Literature

The City Section’s winningest football coach with 300 career wins and a longtime P.E. teacher at Crenshaw High was placed on administrative leave last August on the eve of Crenshaw’s football opener.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.